Papaver paeoniflorum

‘Black Peony’

BLACK PEONY POPPIES

Syn. P. somniferum cv. paeoniflorum

No TAS

Papaver paeoniflorum ‘Black Peony’
BLACK PEONY POPPIES

Syn. Papaver somniferum subsp. paeoniflorum

Blooms of Papaver paeoniflorum ‘Black Peony’ are fluffy full double powder-puffs, all ruffled and scrunched, and of the deepest, darkest, almost-black wine colour.
Not permitted for Tasmania

Deepest, darkest, almost-black – like a fine shiraz

Blooms are huge, ruffled, and packed with black-wine silky petals. Like the colour of an excellent shiraz wine.
With blooms up to 10-12cm. across, the sea blue-green foliage colour also contrasts so beautifully with the dark blooms.

Very reliable each year

Papaver paeoniflorum are very reliable self-seeding annuals.
So once you have some starter plants in the garden – you can look forward to more of the blowsy beauties as a treat each spring and early summer, with no further help from you.

Wonderfully rewarding for no work

Papaver paeoniflorum ‘Black Peony’ are very low-maintenance plants and happy to just get on with it by themselves.
They are also tolerant of frost and soundly drought resistant.

Happily scatter their progeny for next year

If you would like more gorgeous Black Peony Poppies for next year – just leave a few fat seed pods to dry on the stalks, and they will split and happily scatter their progeny for next season.
Or you can cut some seed pods as they start to zip open, pop them into a brown paper bag to drop their seeds, and then scatter the seed in new places. Or share with friends too.
Some low tech gardeners even just pull out the spent stalks with pods, lay the dried stalks on the ground as a mulch, and let them drop seed for next year where placed.

Super cut flowers

Both the fresh flowers and the dried seed pods of  Papaver paeoniflorum ‘Black Peony’ make super cut flowers for floristry vases.

Water-wise

Plant Papaver paeoniflorum ‘Black Peony’ in Full Sun.
Peony Poppies, in their many variations, are native to areas around Turkey and the eastern Mediterranean, so they are all well adapted to places with hot and dry summers, and happy to return each year.

Easily pleased in a wide range of soils

Plus they are not fussy about soil types, favouring anything from sandy, gravel, rocky to good garden loam and enriched clay based soils.
So all Peony Poppies are very easily pleased.

Obligingly Quick & Easy from seed

Papaver paeoniflorum seeds give instant gratification, because they are so quick & easy to grow from seed to flower (approx. 20 weeks).

Just scatter directly in the garden

So they are perfect candidates for simply scattering seeds in the garden where you want them to grow.

Or start early indoors

But if you are starting the seeds indoors, for early flowers and highest potential germination rate – then make sure you sow the seed in deeper pots, rather than shallow punnets.
Because Papaver tend to grow long roots quickly and resent being disturbed.

Sow in deep pots or compostable jiffy pots

So sow your seeds as a bare scatter into deep pots.
Composting jiffy pots are also brilliant for poppies, as you just plant the pot and contents with no disturbance at all.
So plant the seedlings out in the garden by the pot full (don’t worry they germinate in lush abundance).

80cm. High in spectacular summer flower x 20cm. Wide.

SEED SOWING ADVICE: QUICK & EASY

Suitable for beginners & gardening with kids

Sow seeds at any time in deep pots indoors / or sow in the garden in autumn or spring-early summer.

Sow indoors for quick & early plants: First sow the fine seed thinly onto the surface of good quality seed raising mix.
Press the seeds gently into surface to ensure good contact, but do not cover with mix.
As these seeds germinate better with light.

Sowing Tip for Poppies: Papaver seed is very fine. So finelt sieve some seed raising mix into the bag containing your seed. Then shake around and sow the whole contents of the bag. This will pick up and separate the fine seed and help to sow it thinly.

Because the seedlings resent being transplanted, it is best to use deeper tube pots or jiffy pots, and scatter a tiny pinch of seed into each.
Then you can plant each pot with its little flock of Poppies straight into the garden by the pot full, without disturbing them by pricking them out and separating.

Then place your sown pots in a well-lit, warm position to germinate (not in direct sun).
Because these seeds are easy to germinate, so a warm, well lit corner or window sill is fine.

Keep the pots moist but not wet in a well-lit position.

Temperatures of 16-22°C are optimum for rapid germination.
And papaver paeoniflorum seeds are aided by experiencing the temperature fluctuations of night and day.

Then seed germinates in 5-20 days approx.

Seed Count: 100 seeds per pack approx.
(We always aim to exceed the stated seed count, and give a generous serve).

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